14 Persons die in Helicopter Crash
14Persons die in Helicopter Crash
19 June 2007
published by www.olloo.mn
Mongolia — An emergency team of 22 persons leftUlaanbaatar on June 13 last Wednesday for Selenge aimag on the MI-8model helicopter No 8220 of the General Authority for Border Protection.
Their task was to extinguish a forest fire that wasburning in the areas of the Tsant Mountain and Khon River in Yeroo and Mandalsoums. The team comprised 16 parachuter-firemen of the special rescue unit ofthe General Emergency Authority, three pilots and an operator of the emergencyservice. The group was led by the head of emergency management department,Commissioner D. Batbaatar and the head of fire-fighting service, G.Tserennyam.
Around 9 p.m. of the same day, the team got intocontact from Mandal soum and reported about unfavorable weather and coveringmist. Having informed that they were approaching a place possible for landing,the team got lost. A search started swiftly, but was temporarily stopped due tothe bad weather. Later, last Sunday, a searching group found the helicopter fellin a dense forest almost 10 kilometers far from the fire.
The Cabinet held a meeting and established a Governmentcommission to regulate emergency measures under the leadership of the DeputyPremier M. Enkhsaikhan. A medical group pf emergency assistance andinvestigators is appointed under the order of the Minister of Health. Acommission is also set up by the Minister of Environment to make a conclusion onthe weather conditions of the relevant period. Commissions for issuance of atechnical conclusion and for investigation of the accident reasons are operatingunder the joint order of the Ministers of Defense, Road, Transportation and ofTourism.
At present, eight persons are alive. In the night ofthe 17th to the 18th June, a steppe team in Zuunkharaa soum worked efficientlyto rescue people. As a result, four persons who got seriously injured werebrought to the Traumatology center in Ulaanbaatar Monday morning at 8:40 a.m.The remaining four persons were delivered to the Traumatology center at 10:45a.m. The center’s doctors are making all efforts to save their lives. There isno shortage in medicines, injections and medical equipment. Doctors are sayingthough that injuries got due to the fall from a height are highly probable tocause difficulties and that 50 per cent of victims of such kind of accident getbrain defects and about 30 per cent – damage in their thoracic cavities.
On Monday, around 1 p.m, corpses of 13 persons weretaken from the accident spot. Rescuers are working in a difficult situationbecause most of the corpses are pressured by the helicopter. More than 60rescuers working with three helicopters are transporting the dead.
The Government has not made the final decision to fix avolume of allowance to be granted to the families of the persons who lost theirlives. Bank account for donations has been opened number 502-042-4099 in thebranch of Bank of Agriculture in Chingeltei district of Ulaanbaatar.
The Governmental commission has appointed the Ministerof Justice and Internal Affairs, D.Odbayar and the Ulaanbaatar City MayorTs.Batbayar to work in the steppe team in Zunnkharaa.
